Building a Wood Fence

With the help of my Dad, Bob, building a wood fence can be as easy as “1...2...3!!!”

Oh, c’mon people!!! Did you really believe that? Building a wood fence is a doable project, but to say it’s easy, is somewhat of an understatement.

I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the way that Bob (I shall call him Bob, instead of “My Dad” henceforth for ease of reading) put together these instructions in a fairly simple, easy to follow manner. After he was through, I even felt that I would be able to start building a wood fence for myself!

So without further ado...here are the instructions:

1. Do you want one? If so, why?
Didn’t I already say this under my discussion in outdoor fences? Oh yes I did! Makes me believe that I was on to something! Bob’s first piece of advice is to identify your reasons for installing a fence to be sure that you select the most appropriate type for your needs.

2. Talk to your neighbors about your plans.
Bob pointed out something I neglected. Building a wood fence can make good neighbors, but it can also make enemies too. Are you putting up a fence in a neighborhood where there are few? If so, your neighbors might not like your plans, or they could feel ‘slighted’ by your fence if they perceive you are trying to keep them out of your yard. Explain to your neighbors your reasons behind building a wood fence and your intent to do so long before you start the project. You may even choose to inform your neighbors as you’re “thinking” about the process to get them warmed up to the idea.

3. Make sure you get a building permit.I discussed the importance of this as well, but Bob pointed out that the permit will come with any restrictions, such as height restrictions, imposed by the city/village/township. It should also tell you how far the fence must be located from yours and others’ houses, and any other types of rules and regulations. Bob pointed out that in order to obtain a permit, you will need to produce drawings of the item you intend to build.

4. Determine the exact location of your lot line.
We had some debate here. In a typical urban lot, there will be stakes planted at each corner of the lot, which identify the boundaries between yours and your neighbor’s property. I have found the stakes in my yard, however, finding these stakes, and marking off the property myself, would not be sufficient for me to obtain a permit from the village for building a wood fence. I would still need to obtain a survey. Best advice: check with your municipality to determine what is required and how to identify your property line.

5. Set the fence at least a couple of inches INSIDE your property line.
Bob and I agree on this one! Don’t take chances, err on the side of caution. Give up a few inches of property to be sure your fence is located nice and safely on your property.

Sidebar: If you’re removing an old fence first, and THEN building a wood fence, you’ll need to be sure to comply with all of the rules and regulations established by the municipality, even if the old fence did not comply with these regulations. It’s possible that the old fence was installed incorrectly, or that the regulations have changed since it was installed. Regardless, you are always bound by the current regulations set forth in your area.

6. Prepare post holes at each corner. Post holes should be dug below the frost line for your area, plus an additional 4-6 inches. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the frost line depth is 4 feet, so the post holes would be dug out at 4 feet 6 inches.
When building a wood fence, or any other fence for that matter, the posts are set below the frost line, which means that the ground does not freeze below that depth. If you were to install a post above the frost line, water would get underneath the post and freeze, which would cause your post to be pushed out of the ground. Installing posts below the frost line ensure this doesn’t happen.

7. Backfill the corner post holes with 4-6 inches of stone, crushed rock or gravel.
This layer of gravel will pull water away from the post. Posts that sit in water become weakened and compromised more quickly over time.

8. Place 4 X 4 inch posts of pressure treated lumbar inside each of the corner post holes.
Make sure the posts are longer than what you need. You will cut off any excess.

9. With the post in the hole, on top of the crushed rock, fill the hole with at least 4 to 12 inches of concrete.
You can fill the entire hole with concrete if you wish. If you do this, make sure to slant the concrete away from the post on top of the soil so that water does not pool against the post. Bob thinks this looks ugly though! His recommendation when building a wood fence is to fill the hole with no more than 12 inches of concrete, and the rest with soil. This will produce a sufficiently stable post without the ugliness of the concrete above the soil. (I agree with Bob on this one!)

10. Make sure each of the corner posts are plum, or level in all directions – North, South, East and West.
All of the corner posts will need to anchor two sides of the fence, and will need to be level all the way around. The corner posts are very important to the overall integrity of your fence, and it’s durability in the long run. Make sure you get this step right when building a wood fence!

Sidebar: Posts that you’re installing will not reach the top of the fence, and will be located approximately 1-1 ½ feet below the top of the fence. So, let’s say you’re putting in a 6 foot fence, with a frost line of 4 feet. You will need at least 9 foot posts – 4 feet of which will be underground, and 5 feet of which will be located above ground. Bob recommends purchasing longer posts than what you need, and sawing off the top to bring everything level. So in that case, for the above example you would purchase 10 foot posts, and would have at least 12 inches of leeway to work with. The last thing you want to see when building a wood fence are posts that are too short once they’re set in concrete.

11. Once all corner posts are in, run strings from one post to the next to determine where to place the posts in between. Place a post in every 8 feet or less.
Spacing the posts in this fashion will ensure stability and longevity. It will also be easier when placing the 2 X 4’s on top of the posts, which generally come in 8 foot lengths.

12. Cut off all posts at the same height.

13. String 2 X 4’s from post to post to post to post along the top.
These 2 X 4’s should be sitting on top of the posts, and hammered down securely to the posts.

14. String 2 X 4’s from post to post to post to post along the bottom of the posts, about 1-2 feet from the ground.
These 2 X 4’s will sit between each of the posts, and should also be securely fastened to the posts.

This is essentially the base of your fence. Now you will attach the boards to the fence in whatever design you have determined is best. If you decide on a picket fence, for example, you will place a picket on the outside of the 2 X 4’s, make sure it is level, and then secure it to the 2 X 4’s. Place a picket next to that one as a spacer, and then attach another picket next to that. Continue until you work your way completely around the yard.

Be sure to leave at least an inch or two between the boards and the ground for trimming the grass and keeping the wet soil from touching the boards.

When it comes to building a wood fence, that’s about the extent of the project.

Bob has some misc tips and techniques to help you along the way:

All posts should be “Pressure Treated Lumbar” - while you can certainly treat the wood yourself, lumbar companies generally do a good job of this, and there is no need to treat the wood yourself.

Buy the most expensive product/wood you can afford - you are either building a wood fence for yourself, or for the aesthetic value to the home. Either way, ensure your long-term happiness in this relationship by purchasing the best material that you are able to.

When purchasing your wood from a lumbar company, obtain all the information that you can about the different types of wood, how to stain, seal and paint your fence, and any other information you can obtain - the lumbar company is happy to provide you with all of the information you need. They want you to like their wood, and they want you as a return customer. They will often provide you with free construction designs, particularly if you’re looking to install any specialty features, such as a gate.

Paint, stain or treat the wood BEFORE you put the fence together - it is much easier to work with single, loose pieces of wood in the comfort of your garage, rather than leaning or crouching over a standing fence. The process of building a wood fence may mean you need to touch up certain areas, but this is much easier than treating the whole area.

Consider installing a gate towards any neighbors you happen to like - do you routinely visit the neighbors behind you? Install a gate so that they can still come and go as they used to. This will also help you in your friendly neighbor relations.

Well, that’s about it! I hope these instructions for building a wood fence have been helpful to you.

Bob and I wish you all the best in this home improvement project!

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